Connector for miniature multiple conductor tape or wires



March 3, 1964 H. J. MocK ETAL CONNECTOR FOR MINIATURE MULTIPLE CONDUCTOR TAPE OR WIRES Filed Jan. 22, 1962 II/Ill 42 if INVENTORS B/CHARD FEB 5 BYH4ROLD J MM 14 TTORA/EY- tionships.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,123,422 Patented Mar. 3, 1964 3,123,422 CONNEQTGR FGR MINHATURE MULTIPLE CQNDUCTOR TAPE GR WiRES Harold 3. Mock, 219 Glenroy Place, Los Angeles 49,

Caiih, and Richard V. Keys, 10245 Parise Drive, Whittier, (Ialif.

Filed Jan. 22, 1962, Ser. No. 167,5% 12 Claims. ((11. 339-75) This invention relates to miniature, multiple-circuit electrical connector apparatus for establishing separable connections simultaneously between a large number of very closely spaced fine-wire conductors in miniature circuitry conductor tape or ribbon as used in the control circuits of rockets, missiles etc. The invention contemplates making it posisble to join as many as 30 to 72 fine wire conductors to the inch, embedded in plastic tape or ribbon in an area which in some instances may be as narrow as one in which the conductors are spaced apart 0.30 inch or less. In fact, the invention makes it possible to establish separate connections between conductors having a spacing from .030 inch down to as low as .001. inch or less. The term miniature is used to designate such range of small-dimensional rela- An object of the invention is to provide a separable connector comprising sections joined to respective multiple conductor tapes and having projecting conductor prongs and sockets for mating connection such .as to establish a plurality of individual connections bridging across the connector without short-circuiting the connections. More specifically, the invention aims to provide such a separable connector having means for insulating a series of interconnected pairs of conductor prongs from adjacent pairs of prongs.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in' the ensuing specification and appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of a connector apparatus embodying one form of my invention, showing opposed connector sections separated from one another but in position for interengagement when brought together;

scale, of a connector embodying a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of parts of the assembly shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a plan view, actual size, of a multiple con ductor tape connection embodying another modified form of the invention, a portion of the cover block being broken away;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the same on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 9 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of the same;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of one of the connector bars of FIGS. 7-9;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of a conductor embodying another modified form of the invention; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a modified form of connector bar with solder-pot terminal socket.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and in particular to FIGS. 1-4, we have shown therein, as one form in which the invention may be embodied, a multipleconductor connector assembly comprising connector sections A and B connected to adjacent ends of respective multiple conductor tapes C. The connector sections A and B embody respective mounting clevises 15 which may be in the form of solid blocks, of L-shape in side elevation, each having a rectangular apron portion 16 and a mounting head 17 projecting vertically therefrom. Apron 16 and head 17 both extend from side to side of respective mounting blocks A and B. When in position to be coupled, as shown in FIG. 1, the blocks A and B are in right and left relation, with the heads 17 opposed.

In the heads 17 are a series of slots 18 disposed in parallel longitudinal planes at right angles to the apron 16 and to the transverse axis of head 17. Mounted in the slots 13 are a plurality of bars 19 of insulating material, each having a metal conductor facing 24 on one side face thereof. Bars 19 project from the forward face of mounting head 17 in spaced parallel relation to constitute a series of connector prongs 21. The bars project from the rear face of each head 17 to constitute a series of terminal tails 22. In one of the connector sections the conductor facings 2i) face toward the right (eg. as seen in section A in FIG. 1) and in the coacting section B, the facings face to the left. The spaces between the prongs 21 have a width equal to the thickness ofthe prongs. Thus it becomes possible to insert the prongs of one connector section into the spaces between the prongs of the other connector section, and vice versa, with each prong of one connector section paired with an adjacent prong of the other connector section, and with the metal facings 2i? of the paired prongs in conductive contact with one another as best shown in FIG. 3. The insulating backs of the pair of prongs will then be in contact with insulating backs of prongs on either side of the pair, so that adjacent pairs of coupled prongs will be well insulated from one another, preventing any possibility of a short circuit between pairs of prongs. The insulating backs may be rounded at the ends as indicated at 23 in FIG. 3, to facilitate entry of the prongs into interleaved relation.

The bars 19 may be anchored in position by a retainer pin 24 extending through aligned bores in the head 17 and in the bars and holding the lower margins of the bars in solid engagement with the bottoms of the slots 18, so as to prevent any tilting of the bars out of their common plane of assembly. The retainer pin 24 is of a nonconductive material such as nylon or equivalent so as to avoid short circuiting the conductor facings 20.

.The conductor tapes C are of flexible thermoplastic material, each including a backing tape 25, a plurality of fine conductor wires 26 laid on the upper surface thereof, and a coating 27 of resin adhering to said upper face of the tape and embedding and securing the conductor wires 26 therein. 7

At the ends of the tapes C, the upper coating 27 is stripped away, leaving end portions of the wires 26 bared. These .bared end portions of the wires are soldered to the metal facings 20 of terminal tails 22-as indicated at 28 in FIGS. 2 and 4.

For maintaining the connector sections A and B in proper alignment with one another, with skirts 16 in a common plane, they may be provided with respective locating pins 31, each mounted in one end of a respective head 17 and receivable in a socket 32 in the other end of the opposed head 17.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, the sections A and B may be positioned in a retainer housing of channel form, shown at 33.

FIG. 5 shows another connector arrangement. A lip 34, projecting as an integral extension of head 17, in the plane of skirt 16, on one of the sections, provides a step against which the prongs of the other section may seat when fully inserted into their mating recesses. A similar construction is shown in FIG. 9 and will be described more in detail hereinafter.

Prongs 21 of one of the connector sections (e.g. section B) are slanted slightly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the connector, being laterally bent Where they join the body portions of the respective bars 19 so as to define dihedral angles therewith, these prongs diverging from the planes of said body portions at a small angle, preferably less than five degrees (e.g. in the range of 2 degrees to 3 degrees). The prongs of the opposed connector section are parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof. The direction on inclination of the bent prongs is indicated by the .broken line 50 in FIG. 5, whereby, as the bent prongs are inserted between the prongs of the opposed connector section, wedging pressure is exerted against the conductor faces of the latter at their tips, developing high pressure contact between the interengaging conductor facings. As the bent prongs are inserted to full depth between the opposed prongs, the latter will be deflected into substantial parallelism with the bent prongs, which will correspondingly be straightened toward parallelism with the longitudinal axis of the connector until substantially full faceto-face contact of the interengaging conductor facings is obtained. The flexed prongs will exert resilient pressur against one another so as to maintain a good pressure contact between the coupled conductor faces, and improving conductivity. This involves bringing the connector sections together along a common longitudinal axis parallel to the bar bodies 19 and pressure-loading them along that axis by suitable securing means such as is shown in FIGS. 7-10 and described hereinafter. In establishing such pressure-loading of the interleaved prongs, the connector sections can be retained with a snug fit in a retainer channel 33 such as shown in FIG. 4 with respective longitudinal axes properly aligned.

As disclosed in FIGS. 5 and 6, this form of the invention includes a mounting clevis of formed sheet plastic material including a skirt portion 16', a head 17 of arched channel form, from one leg of which the skirt 16' projects as an integral extension, and a lip 34- projecting from the other leg of the head 17'. The laminated connector bars 19' are mounted in laterally spaced parallel slots in head 17' in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 1, and are retained by a locking pin 24 threaded through aligned apertures in the connector bars and confined between the legs of head 17. Lip 34' provides a bottom for the spaces between terminal tails of one connector section, against which the prongs of the opposed connector section are positioned in the coupled connector, with the end of the lip abutting the head of the opposed clevis.

FIGS. 7-10 illustrate a preferred form of the invention, shown actual size in FIG. 7, and at 2:1 scale in FIGS. 8 and 9. Fig. 7 is a schematic showing wherein the large number of fine conductor wires, spaced apart about .030 inch, are embedded in relatively thin fiat flexible plastic tapes C". The wires (and the conductor bars 19") are represented by single lines because of their fineness and close spacing.

As seen in FIG. 10, wherein one of the conductor bars 19" is shown enlarged several times, each of these bars if of T-form and has an integral key 4.0 projecting from one side thereof. The bars 19" are mounted in slots in heads 17" of the respective mounting blocks 15", and the keys 4d are locked into recesses 41 communicating with the bottoms of respective slots in the respective heads 17'. The leftward mounting block 15" is T-shaped, Whereas the rightward block 15a is L-shaped. The prongs 21 of connector section B seat against the lip 34 of section A", and are secured by a cover 42 bridging over the two sections A", B", and securing bolts 43 which extend through the cover and through the respective heads 17 (at the ends thereof registering with the margins 45 of the tapes C" outside the conductor wire areas). The conductor tapes C" are clamped between the skirts 16 and jaws 46 extending transversely along the respective side margins of the cover 42. The bared ends of the conductor wires 26 are soldered to the metal facings 20" of tails 22 while the ends of the tape rest upon the aprons 16".

FIG. 11 discloses a series of conductor bars of modified form having insulating backs 19a of greater width than their respective insulating facings Ztla whereby, when sandwiched against one another as shown, the backs 19a will have marginal portions projecting beyond both sides of the conductor facings 26a so as to inhibit arcing between adjacent conductors strips, the air gaps between the edges of adjacent strips being increased many times by the projecting insulating margins. The series of such modified bars can be utilized as connector prongs when arranged in properly spaced relation in respective connector sections such as the sections A and B, and with the facings Zita in opposed relation so as to establish a series of electrical connections, and are especially useful where high voltage differentials exist between the circuits of adjacent connections. Alternatively, a series of conductor strips Zita, insulated by respective backing strips 19a, can be assembled in face to back contact as shown in FIG. 11 in circuits having high voltage differentials.

FIG. 12 illustrates a modified form of the connector bar of FIG. 10, wherein a solder pot or socket is provided on the terminal tail 22 by a rolled sleeve 48 of metal foil soldered or welded to the metal facing 26'' of the connector bar tail 22. The bared ends of wires 26 are inserted into sockets 48, and are then soldered therein by solder which may be inserted through the open slots in the sides of the sockets, entering and filling the sockets by capillary action.

Method of Fabricating An important aspect of the invention is the method by which we have made it possible to fabricate the above described apparatus. For the connector bars 19, etc., we utilize laminated material comprising relatively rigid thin plastic sheet with thin metal foil facings or metal coating on one or both faces thereof. If material with metal facings on both sides is employed, the metal is etched or otherwise removed from one face, leaving that face with the insulating material exposed. The laminated sheet material, with the metal facing on one side of a back sheet of insulating material, is then die cut in a blanking operation to provide connector bars 1?, 19' or 1.9" as the case may be.

The mounting blocks 15 of FIG. 1 are fabricated by machining from solid insulator plate or bar stock, the L-section being first developed, and the heads 17 then being ganged-sawed to provide the plurality of accurately spaced slots 18 therein. Alternatively, the :L-section of blocks 15 can be developed by molding or extruding the L-section material, and the heads 17 subsequently slotted by accurate sawing methods. The bars 19 are subsequently inserted in the manner hereinbefore described. Where the bars are anchored by retainer pins 24, the bores for the pins can be drilled after the bars have been mounted in their respective slots and properly aligned and positioned in a suitable jig. The clevis 15' of FIG. 5 can be fabricated by die-stamping.

In the assembly of the connector shown in FIG. 9, the bars are properly positioned by engagement in sockets 41 and are retained in position by a press fit of the lugs 40 in the sockets 41. The keys 40 of the connector bars of FIG. 9 are effective to secure the bars against longitudinal displacement in their respective mounting block.

After the bars have been assembled and satisfactorily aligned, the end of a tape with its wire ends previously bared, is moving up to a respective assembly of connector bar tails 22 and is carefully registered therewith. With a suitable comb having fine teeth spaced to register with in the socket spaces between the tails 22, the bared wire ends are combed into these spaces and are shifted into contact with the conductor facings of the tails. Using a fine-pointed soldering iron, the wire ends are then soldered one by one to the tails with which they are in contact, it being sulficient to deposit a portion of a solder drop on each metal facing and to permit it to flow downwardly against the facing until it contacts the wire. The droplets of solder may be permitted to partially fill the spaces between the tails as indicated in FIG. 2.

After the conductor wires are all soldered or welded to their respective connector bars, the two connector sections may be brought together, coupled, and secured by the clamp cover 42.

A preferred method of fabricating the blocks including their slots 18 is to shape them in dies, using a compression molding technique. By constructing the dies with exacting accuracy, such accuracy is reflected in the molded parts, and absolute uniformity in width and spacing of slots 18 as well as in the overall proportions of the blocks 15 can thus be attained.

We claim:

1. In a separable connector for miniature multiple conductor tape, in combination: a pair of connector sections comprising respective mounting clevises of insulating material, each having a transverse head provided with a plurality of closely spaced, narrow slots disposed in parallel planes extending longitudinally and at right angles to the transverse axes of said heads; a plurality of connector bars mounted in said slots, said bars being of laminated structure, each comprising a backing of insulating material and a thin metal facing bonded to said backing, said bars having end portions projecting from the forward side of said head in laterally-spaced array to constitute a plurality of connector prongs separated by intervening sockets in which the prongs of a mating connector are receivable with said faces arranged in overlapping, contacting pairs of facings separated by intervening backings; and respective multiple-conductor tapes each embodying a plurality of laterally spaced conductors terminating in bared ends attached to respective facings at the rear ends of said bars.

2. A separable connector as defined in claim 1, wherein said bars have respective terminal tails projecting from the rear side of said head in laterally-spaced array, said bared conductor ends being received in the spaces between said tails and attached to the facings thereof.

3. A separable connector as defined in claim 2, wherein said bars are of T-form, each embodying a key projecting from a mid-portion thereof and locked in a recess in said head in the bottom of a respective slot, and aligned prongs and tail portions projecting in opposite directions from said key.

4. A separable connector as defined in claim 3, wherein each of said clevises has an integral apron projecting from the head thereof and having, at the base of said head, a face disposed substantially in a common plane with the bottoms of said slots and providing a seat against -which the end portion of a respective conductor tape is supported.

5. A connector as defined in claim 4, wherein one of said clevises includes an integral lip projecting from said head in the plane of the respective apron and on the opposite side of the head therefrom, said lip providing a bottom for the spaces between said tails, against which the prongs of the opposed connector section are positioned in the coupled connector, with the end of said lip abutting the opposed head of the opposed clevis.

6. A connector as defined in claim 5, including a retainer cap separably attached to and bridging over the respective connector sections and holding them in coupled relation.

7. A connector as defined in claim 6, wherein said retainer cap has marginal jaws projecting past the tails of the respective connector sections and confining the respective conductor tapes against their respective seats on said clevis aprons.

8. A separable connector as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said connector bars includes a solder pot in the form of a rolled, split sleeve of metal foil bonded to the metal facing of its respective tail portion.

9. A separable connector as defined in claim 1, including retainer pins extending through registering bores in said heads and said bars and securing said bars against displacement from said slots.

10. A connector as defined in claim 1, wherein said clevis is of formed sheet material, with said head in the form of a channel of U-section, and including retainer pins projecting through aligned apertures in said bars and confined between the legs of said channel to secure said bars against displacement from said slots.

11. A connector as defined in claim 1, wherein said clevises are of solid block form, one being of T-section, including said lip as one arm of the T-head, and the other being of L-section.

12. In a separable connector for miniature multiple conductor tape, in combination: a pair of connector sections comprising respective mounting clevises of insulating material, each having a transverse head provided with a plurality of closely spaced, narrow slots disposed in parallel planes extending longitudinally and at right angles to the transverse axis of said heads; a plurality of connectors bars mounted in said slots, said bars being of laminated structure, each comprising a backing of insulating material and a thin metal facing supported against said backing, said bars having end portions projecting from the forward side of said head in laterally-spaced array to constitute a plurality of connector prongs separated by intervening sockets in which the prongs of a mating connector are receivable with said faces arranged in overlapping, contacting pairs of facings separated by intervening backings; and respective multiple-conductor tapes each embodying a plurality of laterally spaced conductors terminating in bared ends attached to respective facings at the rear ends of said bars.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,932,810 Novak Apr. 12, 1960 2,945,201 Waninger July 12, 1960 3,034,091 Gluck May 8, 1962 3,076,951 Swanson Feb. 5, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 629,734 Great Britain Sept. 27, 1949 

12. IN A SEPARABLE CONNECTOR FOR MINIATURE MULTIPLE CONDUCTOR TAPE, IN COMBINATION: A PAIR OF CONNECTOR SECTIONS COMPRISING RESPECTIVE MOUNTING CLEVISES OF INSULATING MATERIAL, EACH HAVING A TRANSVERSE HEAD PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF CLOSELY SPACED, NARROW SLOTS DISPOSED IN PARALLEL PLANES EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY AND AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE TRANSVERSE AXIS OF SAID HEADS; A PLURALITY OF CONNECTORS BARS MOUNTED IN SAID SLOTS, SAID BARS BEING OF LAMINATED STRUCTURE, EACH COMPRISING A BACKING OF INSULATING MATERIAL AND A THIN METAL FACING SUPPORTED AGAINST SAID BACKING, SAID BARS HAVING END PORTIONS PROJECTING FROM THE FORWARD SIDE OF SAID HEAD IN LATERALLY-SPACED ARRAY TO CONSTITUTE A PLURALITY OF CONNECTOR PRONGS SEPARATED BY INTERVENING SOCKETS IN WHICH THE PRONGS OF A MATING CONNECTOR ARE RECEIVABLE WITH SAID FACES ARRANGED IN OVERLAPPING, CONTACTING PAIRS OF FACINGS SEPARATED BY INTERVENING BACKINGS; AND RESPECTIVE MULTIPLE-CONDUCTOR TAPES EACH EMBODYING A PLURALITY OF LATERALLY SPACED CONDUCTORS TERMINATING IN BARED ENDS ATTACHED TO RESPECTIVE FACINGS AT THE REAR ENDS OF SAID BARS. 